How to Craft Flavored Salts

Course salt works great for making flavored salts. Flickr photo by Kevin Dooley

Cooking with flavored salts can make outdoor cooking, or cooking in general, a delightful experience for your tastebuds. It can be as simple as grinding some salt and spices until you have a fine, flavorful powder. There is also a way to mix together wet ingredients and salt, without ending up with a pile of goo! Who knows, you just might find a flavored salt that you can add to just about everything you enjoy cooking. How convenient would that be?! Also, making your own is a huge money-saver.

Dry Method

Combining salt with dry ingredients is what this method is all about. You don’t have to have a food processor to mix herbs and salt either. Even though it’s ideal to have one on hand, it isn’t absolutely necessary.

The amount of salt you use is to your own taste preference. It also depends on what other flavor or flavors you’re mixing with it. Start with 1 teaspoon of dried ingredient to ¼ C of salt. You can increase the amount of dried ingredients if it’s too salty, or add more salt if you think it should be saltier.

Place the salt and dried ingredients in a food processor until mixed well or put all ingredients in a bowl and mash them together a bit with a large spoon, or even the bottom of a juice glass. You can use chilies, lavender, sun-dried tomatoes, sage, dried mushrooms, tea leaves, rosemary, garlic, dried fruits, or citrus rinds.

To make sure the mix is thoroughly dry before storing, spread it out on top of a parchment paper lined baking sheet and allow it to dry in the oven for a couple of hours at the lowest heat possible. Once it’s dry, store it in airtight containers.

Wet Method

Now for the wet ingredients! You can create flavored salts out of mustard, chipotle sauce, Sriracha, or even hoisin sauce. Again, trust your taste buds for an agreeable salt to wet ingredient ratio. Begin with ½ C salt and a tablespoon of whatever flavor you’re adding to it. Pulse the ingredients together in a food process or mash them together in a bowl until it becomes an even color. Pour the mix onto a baking sheet and put it in the oven for a couple of hours on the lowest heat setting. You’ll need to stir it frequently to make sure it all becomes dry. Once it’s completely dry and cooled down, put it in an airtight container for extended storage.

Want to do more with natural flavors? You can learn lots from .

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Some Recipes to Try

Sichuan Peppercorn Salt

Mix equal amounts of Sichuan peppercorns and salt in a food processor. Pulse until it’s well mixed together. This is great for dipping shrimp in before frying it. Or sprinkle it on top of a batch of oven fries before baking them.

This salt is perfect for grilled or roasted veggies, avocados on toast, eggs, chicken, steak, popcorn, sliced tomatoes, or on the rim of a cocktail glass.

Citrus Salt

1 C Coarse Salt Grated Zest from 1 Lemon Grated Zest from 1 Orange

This salt can be used on grilled chicken, grilled salmon, shrimp kebabs, or any type of vegetable.

Choose the above recipe of your choice and pulse all ingredients in a food processor or chop them as fine as possible in a bowl. Pour onto a baking sheet and allow it to dry in the oven for a couple of hours at the lowest heat setting.

What delightful combination are you thinking about trying for your homemade flavored salt?

About Aprille Ross

Aprille loves sharing her plethora of knowledge with others, with the hope she will help make someone's life easier. She spends most of her time playing with the animals at home, studying, and learning new things to share with others.